President Barack Obama needs to get off his "high horse" and negotiate with Republicans over a temporary spending bill to fund the government and avoid a default on the nation's debt, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said Tuesday.
"The president ought to be getting off his high horse, sitting in a room, bringing in the congressional leadership, and acting like he's part of the Constitution. He's not above it," the Republican told CNN.
Story continues below video.
"I think Obama's inability to be leader, and his inability to talk with the congressional leadership, and his absolute ignorance of the Constitution is, I think, breathtaking in an incumbent president," he added.
The president is not above the Constitution and the rules of government, and should, as leader, find common ground on spending issues, Gingrich continued.
"What I object to deeply, both as an American citizen, as a conservative, and former speaker of the House, is the notion that somehow we owe the president, bowing to him, and doing things on his terms with no negotiation," he said.
Gingrich drove home the message that he does not believe the president and lawmakers will allow the nation to default on its debts even if they fail to reach an agreement on a stopgap spending measure.
Lawmakers are looking at an Oct. 17 deadline to increase the nation's borrowing limit.
"My counsel to the whole country is, 'We will not default,'" Gingrich said.
Related Stories:
Budget Fight Offers Crash Course on Congress
Obama Won't Negotiate
Boehner: There's Never Been a President Who Won't Negotiate on Debt Limit
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.